Israeli naval forces intercepted a cargo ship in the Mediterranean on
Sunday suspected of carrying arms, and troops boarded the vessel for
a "security check, but found no weapons," sources in the Israel
Defense Forces said.

The ship was intercepted near the northern coast of Israel, on
suspicion that it was carrying arms destined for the Gaza Strip. The
ship, Hs Beethoven, bearing a Liberian flag, was intercepted 160
nautical miles off the coast of Israel, and was boarded by fighters
of Shayetet 13, the Israel Navy´s elite naval commando unit. The
inspection of the ship was carried out with the permission of the
ship´s captain, after he was contacted by radio and told that the
ship would be checked. The ship´s crew did not resist, and the
fighters boarded it without using violence. No arms were found on the
ship.

The IDF spokesperson said that the operation was carried out "as part
of routine activity to prevent smuggling ... the IDF and security
forces will continue to act untiringly against the efforts of terror
organizations to obtain arms in order to harm Israeli citizens."

In recent years Israel has redoubled its efforts to prevent the
smuggling of weapons to Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Most of the
smuggling is organized by the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian
intelligence in order to strengthen Hezbollah in Lebanon and the
Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Sea routes are central to the smuggling
effort, although airplanes are also used - flying from Iran over
Turkey to Syria and Lebanon. According to foreign press reports,
Israel has also attacked convoys in Sudan allegedly carrying weapons.